


等你戎装  (Waiting for you to dress for battle)

by drelfina



Category: Naruto
Genre: Chronological, Five Times Madara puts on armour, Fluff, Founders Era, Kishimoto made up some ridic reasons i just gotta go with them, M/M, Not exactly armour porn but close, i saw the angsty/tragic lyrics and went elsewhere, time-skippy, uchiha izuna is alive (somewhere), what happened to those backplates?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22251670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drelfina/pseuds/drelfina
Summary: Five times Madara dons armour.
Relationships: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara
Comments: 75
Kudos: 228





	等你戎装  (Waiting for you to dress for battle)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [evocates](https://archiveofourown.org/users/evocates/gifts).



He learned how to put on his armour from his brother. 

Taetaka was older by five years, and their father's heir, and shouldn't have been the one to do it. It should have been Togakushi - but Togakushi had been recovering with the medics from chakra depletion (from an overpowered doton that he'd copied and used during the fight itself) and Kurohime had been on a mission. 

The armour had been heavy, just a little oversized for him, thick leather kozane hanging over his arms, and over his legs, the padded cloth underneath still feeling a little too thin against the weight of them. 

"You'll grow into it," Taetaka told him, gripping him by the shoulder, the sode digging in a little against his collarbone. "It was my first set too." 

Madara didn't know what to think of it, the heavy dark red lacquered plates hanging in front of him, on him, but when he looked into the polished bronze mirror, he saw _Uchiha_.

* * *

"You just got _back_ from a mission, Niisan!" Izuna protested. 

"If there's a skirmish with the Senju," Madara said, grimly, "I have to." 

"You literally have a broken _arm_ \- someone else can lead. Toga-nii -" 

"He's not well," Madara said, and when Izuna picked up the chest-plate, both their eyes met over Madara's shoulder in the mirror. 

The one who should have been leading in Father's absence wasn't meant to be Madara. But Taetaka's death had been merely a year ago, and with Father and Kurohime gone to the capital, it should have fallen to Togakushi. 

But Togakushi's wounds from the _last_ skirmish had not healed; Madara had heard _fester_ in the medics' tents, and he was blinded in one eye besides.

So even if Madara had a broken arm - it was _merely_ a broken arm. He could strap it up tight and secure, and he could use his sword one-handed. 

Izuna said nothing as he helped Madara lace up his armoured plates, shifting and moving around to bind the armour to try to protect the injured limb. 

Madara was all of thirteen, but he was every inch his Father's son as Izuna bound Madara's hair behind his back.

* * *

"It isn't right," Madara said, frowning at he stood in Izuna's room, watching Izuna wrap cord around his wrists, but nothing more. 

They haven't had the backplates for more than a year, but they still had enough armour to outfit Izuna. 

"It's merely an intelligence retrieval mission, Niisan," Izuna said calmly, before bending down to start to bind his pants legs to his calves.

"Straight through Hatake territory," Madara protested. 

"Ah, but see," Izuna said, finishing the ties on his right leg, and starting on his left, "I'm very fast." 

"They have _wolves_ , Izuna!" 

Izuna snorted, and straightened up - he was quick and deft with his hands, as always, and he was ready even before Madara normally was in the morning. "And I can out-run wolves even easier when I am not weighed down by armour." 

"You would get mauled if you're caught!" 

Izuna reached forward to rap his knuckles against Madara's chest plate. "I'm much faster than you, Niisan," Izuna said, with a smirk. "So you're the only one who needs to protect their ass, hmm?" 

" _Izuna_!" Madara growled, caught his wrist, and Izuna's smile softened, just a little. 

"I'll be fine, Niisan." He reached up with his other hand, tugged at Madara's shaggy bangs. "Go get a haircut, you really don't need to match that creepy tree monster _that_ closely." 

"He's not a tree monster and you're not -" 

But Izuna had twisted out of his grip far too easily, slippery as fresh seaweed, and already leaping out of the window like a heathen. 

"- getting away that easily. Damn it, Izuna."

* * *

Of all people he needed to ask to help with the armour, Madara had not expected it to be Senju Tobirama. 

He had one broken arm (the OTHER one thank you very much), and three fingers in splints. Of course they WOULD be in opposite arms.

Fighting was not allowed in the Capital, and normally he wouldn't have been anywhere _near_ the Senju's delegation, but there was a sudden celebration for the birth of the Daimyo's first grandson, and someone had fucked up somewhere and chucked both the Uchiha and Senju into adjacent quarters. 

It was only sheer luck that a shinobi squad, probably hailing from Water, had attempted to assassinate the Daimyo - so both Madara and the Pale Senju Demon had gotten involved. 

Despite the fact that the Senju was extremely suiton natured - and shouldn't even be suited for indoor fighting, he somehow fought very well beside Madara - as if they'd trained together for years. 

It should have been suspicious. 

But now he needed to get his goddamn armour on to see the Daimyou, and he was basically helpless. 

Well. 

"Aren't you afraid of me putting a knife in your back," the Senju said dryly. 

"Just because I'll have a little difficulty putting on the kote _neatly_ doesn't mean I can't punch your throat out," Madara said. 

"Charming," Tobirama said, but he was just as deft as Izuna in putting on the assorted pieces of armour. When he lifted Madara's hair from his back, Madara blinked a little at how easily he did it. 

"Who do you think helps Anija," Hashirama's little brother said, drier than low-tide sand. 

He startled when Tobirama tapped cool fingers to his nape. "No backplate?" 

"I don't obscure the uchiwa." 

There was no mirror, but Tobirama's chakra rippled briefly. Maybe surprise? It settled into cool amusement. "I see."

* * *

The clink of the haidate made him stir in the sheets. And as Madara adjusted the kote on his wrists, Tobirama was sitting up in Madara's bed, one side of his hair mashed flat from where he'd been lying. 

He said nothing for a long time as Madara finished adjusting the rest of his armour. 

"You still haven't replaced the back plate," Tobirama said finally. 

"I don't need it," Madara said. 

"Of course not," Tobirama said, getting up, sheets falling from his hips, soft like water, and when Madara turned, Tobirama was sliding a long, trailing yukata on, the white fine cotton draping from his ridiculously pretty figure like silk. "Then I'll put forward my designs for the new Konoha shinobi uniforms, shall I?" 

"What," Madara said, as Tobirama slid around to brush Madara's hair from his nape. 

"You weren't listening to Anija last night, were you." Tobirama's gaze was amused in the glassy mirror. "Armour is outdated." 

"I don't know what you're talking about, you were being distracting -" 

"I was merely listening to Anija," Tobirama said. 

"He was talking about the Senju and Uchiha craftsmen -" 

"Working together to come up with new material and protective uniforms," Tobirama said. "I wrote the agenda." Tobirama's mouth quirked a little. "My designs can be worn one handed. No more asking enemy combatants to help you with the plates."

Madara huffed, and Tobirama's eyes narrowed in feline contentment. 

"And for you, I'll even have yours marked with an uchiwa on the back." 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Evocate's Fav MadaTobira/HashiMada/HashiTobira song:  
> 爱殇
> 
> 轻解霓裳 咽泪换笑妆  
> Gently undoing the robe, swallowing tears for a smile
> 
> 等你戎装 去呼啸沧桑  
> Waiting for you to dress for battle, and meet great change with a roar
> 
> ..... why are all Chinese songs so TRAGIC lol . watch me casually saunter past the crying tragic FEELS and... uh. Write something else instead. 
> 
> also many layers of silk and cotton batting would prevent being STABBED (and shot), while chainmail (or other such metal work) prevents slashing cuts. OBVIOUSLY the Uchiha smiths and the Senju silk craftsmen should work together to make the Konoha SHINOBI VESTS.
> 
> * * *
> 
> also [Japanese armour parts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_armour) here. 
> 
> Specifically mentioned: 
> 
> Dou or dō, a chest armour made up of iron and or leather plates of various sizes and shapes with pendents
> 
> Sode, large rectangular shoulder protection made from iron and or leather plates.
> 
> Kote, armoured glove like sleeves which extended to the shoulder or han kote (kote gauntlets) which covered the forearms. Kote were made from cloth covered with iron plates of various size and shape, connected by chain armor (kusari).
> 
> Haidate, thigh guards which tied around the waist and covered the thighs. These were made from cloth with small iron and or leather plates of various size and shape, usually connected to each other by chain armour (kusari) and sewn to the cloth.
> 
> (And casually inspired by Evocate's _a symbol of subjugation_ for why there might be missing armour bits...)
> 
> * * *
> 
> And just for your entertainment: 
> 
> Because they were literally selling away armour bits, Izuna decides to do away with armour for missions - and then eventually _goes without armour entirely_
> 
> Izuna: I am fast, I don't _need_ armour, Niisan! 
> 
> Madara: ….. 
> 
> Tobira, the fastest shinobi in their generation, still wearing armour: ……….
> 
> Izuna: I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Tobira casually noting that madara is lacking his backplate, and is like _huh_.
> 
> Madara: IT'S SO WE DON'T OBSCURE THE UCHIHA  
>  _Says the man who wears his hair in a GIANT BUSH_
> 
> Tobira: I see.
> 
> Tobira: *personally, LOVINGLY, puts a fucking uchiwa on Madara's personal shinobi vest*
> 
> Tobira: *Because HE FUCKING KNOWS MADARA IS A LYING LIAR*
> 
> Tobira: *also puts it on the upper sleeve of Madara's New Shinobi-blacks*
> 
> Tobira: *is not at all a little shit*


End file.
